Pietersen alleged that Flower created a sense of fear in the dressing room while he was mentoring the team. Whereas, Cook praised Flower’s coaching techniques claiming that it was he and his method of coaching that was responsible for England’s success in the recent past, reports Sportsmole.

“I’ve known Andy since he was a player in the Essex dressing room. He took me under his wing as a player and then, obviously, your relationship changes as a coach to a player and then to a head coach and a captain,”Cook told BBC Sport.

“I’ve only got respect for him, as a man, as a coach. Chatting to some of the other players about it, they feel the same. A lot of our success was down to his drive and his determination to make us a tough England side,” he added.

Cook also claims that the allegations by Pietersen is an insult to the English cricket and its success in the recent past.